Portland Housing Authority Waiting Lists

Please note: The Maine Centralized Section 8/HCV Waiting List (MCS8/HCVWL) manages a single waiting list for seven housing authorities in the State of Maine. A list of all participating housing authorities can be viewed here.The Maine Centralized Section 8/HCV Waiting List (MCS8/HCVWL) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher is currently open. The waiting list opened in April 2013, and is open indefinitely.

Please note: Once this application has been submitted, it will be included on the centralized waiting list, and may be under consideration for every participating housing authority. Because of this, there is no need to apply to multiple participating housing authorities, and only one pre-application will be accepted.

Contact one of the participating housing authorities to have an application mailed to you. Contact information for all participating housing authorities can be viewed here.

Pick up an application at the office of a participating housing authority. Click the link above for the location of participating housing authorities.

This waiting list has the following preferences: Disabled, elderly, family with minor children or dependents, where you live, veteran, displaced by natural or national disaster, chronically homeless, at where you work, non-subsidised, local full-time student, working, non-elderly or disabled single person family, Tedford Shelter resident. A full explanation of all preferences can be viewed here.

Once the paper application has been completed, it can be mailed, faxed or submitted in person to any participating housing authority. Contact information for all participating housing authorities can be viewed here.

Important note: Applicants who have been placed on the waiting list must inform the housing authority immediately if your application information changes (such as contact information, income, and household members). In the case that the office sends a notice that does not get returned, or if application information is out of date, your name may be terminated from the waiting list. Contact the housing authority to find out how to update application information.

Waiting List and Tenancy

According to the 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households database, the housing authority's voucher program has an annual turnover of 15% having issued approximately 116 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 9 years and 7 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 34 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.1 persons and has a household income of $14,996 per year. 95% of households were very low income (VLI) and 75% were extremely low income (ELI). 27% of households had wages as a major source of income, 1% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 69% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.

Heads of Household Characteristics

3% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 47% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 29% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 22% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 1% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

32% of households included children, 9% of which had two adults in the household. 26% of households with children have a female head of household. 63% of all households were headed by a female.

24% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 17% of all heads of households being Black and 0% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the Portland Housing Authority Housing Choice Voucher program, 36% include at least one person with a disability. 63% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 75% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

49% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 27% with 2 bedrooms and 24% with 3 or more bedrooms. 11% of voucher recipients are considered overhoused, meaning they occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.

Rent, Assistance, and Utility Allowances

The average monthly tenant contribution to rent by Portland Housing Authority voucher holders in 2016 was $370 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $814. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $76.

1. This Picture of Subsidized Households data field is the average wait time of those who received a voucher in the preceding 12 months. Due to special voucher programs like VASH, recent waiting list purges, or waiting list preferences the average wait time can vary significantly from one year to the next and it is entirely possible many current applicants on the waiting list have been waiting for assistance for far longer.

Sagamore Village is a 350 unit low income housing apartment community in Portland.

Some or all apartments in this community are rent subsidized, which means rent is income based.

Public Housing

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